Devices for carrying and transporting infants or small children that are mounted upon the shoulders of the wearer are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,998 (Ruggiano) discloses an infant carrier having a pouch into which the infant is positioned. That device includes flexible shoulder straps for the wearer that position the pouch in front of the wearers body. Other prior art infant carriers employing flexible straps include U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,259 (Krich et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,604 (Nagareda).
Although the above noted prior art devices provide the convenience of being readily collapsible and storable, they possess inherent shortcomings due to their lack of an internal support frame. For example, the absence of a rigid support results in an inordinate suspension that tends to stress the wearer about his or her shoulders and waist. Consequently, the device requires readjustment as the child shifts and moves in the seat. In addition, prior art devices lacking internal frame supports tend to collapse around the infant during use thereby contributing to excessive heat and discomfort for both the infant and the wearer.
Another problem associated with the above noted carriers as well as with other designs that position an infant in front of the wearer is the discomfort experienced by women who use the device. The straps of such devices tend to cause excessive pressure against the wearers upper body and especially against the breasts. If the device employs a rigid frame within the shoulder supports, the problem is magnified.
Although rigid frame infant carrier devices are known in the art, they often lack the convenience of being fully collapsible for storage or transport. Even if they are somewhat foldable, the frame members in such devices require a number of manipulations that are cumbersome and awkward to perform.
A need has therefore existed in the art for an up front type infant carrier having a rigid frame that provides a high degree of support yet will not cause discomfort to the wearers chest and is fully collapsible.